A Different Kind of Portrait: SCETV’s Original SC

The creator of the SCETV series Original SC, Tabitha Safdi, does an extraordinary job. I received an email from Tabitha the very first day of December. She had gotten wind of Healing Icons 20th Anniversary and wanted to meet me. Well, I can’t even begin to tell you how over-the-top busy every single day of November was but I am getting ahead of myself. Let’s back up and talk about this different kind of portrait.

A wonderful different kind of self portrait created in our winter retreat.

A Different Kind of Portrait

When we think of a portrait, we usually think of an artwork created to represent the outward “look” of a person. A portrait is a likeness, a portrayal of the personality of a specific person. If we are lucky, sometimes portraits will capture the essence, the spirit of a person. They can give us a tiny peak into their interior life.

Action Packed November

My final arts as healing workshop of the year was held on the 7th, the Tibetan monks who were here to create a Sand Mandalafor our anniversary left on the 8th, Our Circles of Life Exhibition was dismantled on the 9th, the studios where I practice making art, Vista Studios, opened its 25th anniversary exhibition on the 12th, and I left for Morocco (more on that later) on the 13th. I returned from Morocco on the 22nd and left for Daufuski Island to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family on the 25th. Ah, home sweet home on the last day of November.

When I spoke with Tabitha, I was assuming she would want to meet in January 2016. Actually, she was hoping to air this series in January. Yikes! Deep breath! Anxiety! Deep Breath!

Incredibly courageous young cancer survivors created a different kind of portrait – one of their inner landscapes.

Our November Winter Retreat was especially powerful. We had quite a few participants from our local chapter of the Young Survivors Coalition – young women facing breast cancer. I wished that Tabitha had had the opportunity to witness this remarkable group but I am very excited that we are concentrating our efforts to launch our very own eCourse so we can reach even more survivors!

December 8th Filming

We held an impromptu Intuitive Mandala class for Tabitha. Thank you Helen, Donna, Mae and Linda!

Tabitha and I met at my studio to chat. She loved my creative space so we decided to do the filming there. A few days later she emailed me some interview questions to ponder. Terror started to creep in – self-doubt and stage fright all rolled in together. I called a handful of my students to see if they would participate.

Tuesday, December 8th, we spent the whole day filming. You’d think that after the filming was done, my anxious mind could rest. Oh no. Now I worried that what I said was not good enough. I’d wake up at night thinking – Why did I say that? I should have said this and oh, I can’t believe I forgot to say…

Original SC features stories of everyday South Carolinians living, working and experiencing all that the Palmetto State has to offer. “We could do a million stories on the beauty of this state, from the rolling mountains of the Upstate to the beautiful seas of the Low Country. Our state is truly unique, but what really makes South Carolina sweet is its amazing people.”